Obamateurism of the Day

posted at 8:05 am on February 24, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

There may have been good reasons for Barack Obama to hold off on issuing a statement on Libya until late yesterday afternoon, several days after the Moammar Gaddafi regime started to attack demonstrators and turned protests into a full-blown rebellion. Perhaps most especially, the White House may have needed to stall a little to get Americans out of danger before loosing some harsh rhetoric on a hostile and teetering regime. Whatever the reason for the days-long silence from Obama on Libya, surely the President and his team could come up with a better excuse than I was just too damn busy:

This is just a scheduling issue. The president will meet with Secretary of State Clinton this afternoon. We will have something to say out of that meeting. If possible, the President will speak this afternoon or tomorrow, but I assume we’ll have information on when that will happen fairly soon for you.

A scheduling issue? Were they waiting for a Magic 8-Ball to be delivered? Maybe they need Amazon Prime at the White House.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Yeah. And while he waited Britain, Italy, and now Germany have warships off the coast. China has already scooted 4000 of their folks out. Meanwhile we are still ‘examining our options’ and have yet to sit down with the EU. Glory be to GAIA, though, we penned our name to the UN strongly worded letter.

I heard last night on the news that other countries were helping us get our people out of Libya. Isn’t that something we used to do–help other countries? Since when do we need anybody’s help? Oh, sorry, since we elected a bunch of amateurs to run the country.

Hey! Wisconsin is a lot closer to D.C. than Libya! The astroturfing requirements in Madison were far more demanding than any straight-forward statement of policy concerning Libya and its full-blown pro-democracy revolution!
.
This is WTF, Bammy-style!

Riots could break out in Wisconsin and the streets in Libya explode in flames and if he was invited to present “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards Sunday he would have advisors tell him the pros and cons of doing that. If go that far.

Hey, what’s more important? Meeting with union bosses figuring out how to overthrow elected state governments or Libya?

I think the answer is clear. Plus, by staying out of it he helps the chances that Libyan oil will be disrupted thus causing the price of oil to necessarily skyrocket sending the US economy into a tailspin and people out into the streets.

Numerous reports from gas/oil field workers still in the desert and afraid to move. Some have provided GPS coordinates.

I pray they aren’t waiting for Marine One to land and get them out of harms way. The president of Poland sent his state aircraft to ferry out people yesterday. The President of the United States didn’t even notice.

from the guy who thinks he can ‘save lives’ and money by socializing the whole US healthcare system. He spoke of our ‘shared responsibilities’ with regards to caring for one another, yet cannot find it within himself to get up off his duff, cancel a meeting or two and go to bat for Libyan citizens, nor US citizens that live there. And? When he does….he sends them a slow friggin’ boat to nowhere…The Barry Ferry Express….

The pilot of Col Gaddafi’s private jet – a Norwegian – has fled Libya, press reports there say. Odd Birger Johansen, 57, flew to Vienna with his wife and daughter after fearing for their lives in Libya.

,,,

“My partner is stuck in the desert and he feels very scared and abandoned. The Chinese landed on the airstrip last night and got all their workers out, why can’t our government do this? The Foreign Office keep saying they can’t give me any information. The camp where my partner is at is running low on food, they’re on rations and are being guarded by a tribe gang, but he doesn’t know how long this will last, and is fearing the worst. I just feel so helpless.”

”’

Gary, who is stranded at an energy plant south of Tripoli, writes: “We are eight Brits, one Canadian and one American. Most of the local staff have left, we have stopped work, but have been told to keep the gas plant running to supply the west of the country with electricity. We had a number of incidents on Wednesday. We had vehicles stolen at knifepoint… Wednesday was the first time in two weeks we had internet access. The phones are in and out, Skype is almost impossible now. Some of us are coping well under the circumstances, but I really do [fear] for my life and that of my colleagues.”

…

As many as 4,600 Chinese nationals had been evacuated from Libya by Thursday morning, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu. They were taken variously to the Greek island of Crete, Egypt and home to China.

He wants this. He wants oil prices to skyrocket, he wants the US to lose face and be taken down a peg or two. A leader would lead and shove the schedule aside. The Poser-in-chief yawns and ignores it until he feels the US has been damaged and then comes out and votes present.

And why is there still no aircraft carrier task force in the Mediterranean? It’s not like North Africa went up in flames 2 days ago, nor haven’t we deployed there before. Surely someone in the national security council has brought up the idea, why hasn’t Dear Liar acted on it?

Gaddaffi has American blood on his hands, it’s entirely appropriate to put a few missiles into wherever he’s hiding out.

Well well well…it seems cash starved Britian has men on the beach….meanwhile the President of the United States is exploring more options.

Now the latest on the ongoing evacuation of the stranded Britons in Libya. The Foreign Office says: “We can confirm that a Royal Air Force C130 Hercules has departed Tripoli with 52 British passengers on board and 13 other entitled passport holders, bound for Malta. A second C130 is deploying to Malta and will be ready to assist as required. HMS Cumberland has docked in Benghazi (navy cruiser)and is currently preparing to carry out the evacuation of British nationals from the port.”

BO: Crap, I have to meet with Clinton?
Jay: yessir, tomorrow am.
BO: then I need to make a statement about Libya?
Jay: yessir, tomorrow pm.
BO: Crap, what about my tee time?
Jay: yep, that will need to be rescheduled. Maybe we can fit in your 18 holes with a nice rib dinner with MO, sir?
BO: Crap, I have to have dinner with MO?

Shortly after saying “you’re responsible for what is happening to your country, be it peace or war. It’s your choice… as long as you’re happy”, and expressing his “condolences to the officers who have died and their children”, Col Gaddafi hangs up

This is just a scheduling issue. The president will meet with Secretary of State Clinton this afternoon. We will have something to say out of that meeting.

Obama: Hey, Hillary, this Gaddafi guy is messing up my date night with Michelle Ma Belle. What’s the coolest awesomest thing I can do to him–blow up a camel or an aspirin factory or the Chinese Embassy? C’mon, Hill, you know about these things!

Oh, by the way, Hill, could you send Bill to whisper sweet nothings to my Press Secretary?

Thanks for that. This illumination of the truth of how this man/child spends his day should be enough to horrify the world! I love Motown, but why can’t these nincompoops just put the sweet sounds on their Ipods and listen to Smokey while they eat lunch? Wasteful fools. Ed is right…they are using the Magic 8 Ball to govern! Clueless fools. Fools, fools, fools!

A scheduling issue. Nice one, clown. What could possibly be more important than evacuating our assets and expressing concern for the massive upheaval that’s occurring in the ME right now?!? The Amateur in Chief is just in over his head and they’re all worried about their next celebrity sighting instead of the ISSUES that affect this COUNTRY. I mean, he’s ignoring the economy, ignoring job creation…other than pushing thug union tactics, all the golf courses up there are frozen. What the HELL does this man do with his TIME if he’s no longer outside smoking?!?

There is no excuse for not getting our citizens out of that God forsaken country. None. And if Mr. President were truly concerned about their well being he should have taken immediate steps to bring them home. His incompetence is stunning, absolutely stunning. No president that I can recall has ever been such a poor leader.

wouldn’t confront me none if jugears kept his piehole shut—the less i hear from him the better.
also, let’s stay out of libya and all the rest. they all hate us, but as usual, when there’s a problem they want us to come solve it. feek ‘em, i say.